The holidays are over. Christmas decorations are packed and put away for another year.
Now is the time for business planning for 2020. Maybe you have a new product you want to launch or maybe you are thinking about sales reps or trade shows … But one thing I like to do before I start planning my new projects is to celebrate 2019 — the year’s achievements and re-evaluate my goals from last year.
Leonie Dawson, an international best-selling author and serial entrepreneur, understands this concept. She shares her thoughts:
We set our NEW resolutions, our NEW goals, our NEW dreams…without ever
taking stock of where we are NOW in our businesses and lives. I’m always surprised at how little clarity business owners have of where their businesses are at right now – their finances, customer base, achievements and challenges. It’s almost like they feel
afraid to look. And yet when we peer into the dark, we can shine a light on exactly where we are right now, and where we need to head.
Let’s review 2019 by answering the following questions:
- What are your business accomplishments over the past year?
For me, our biggest accomplishment was releasing (selling) our retail and wholesale web business. Once the daily shipping and receiving stopped, I had time to focus on where I wanted to expand with my coaching/consulting business. - What lessons did you learn in 2019?
I learned to relax and trust the process. - What dreams came true during 2019?
I released what no longer worked for me and my husband and moved forward towards my dream of helping others. - What were your weak points? What do you know needs to improve?
(Still pondering that question) - Do you have employees or contractors you work with? How about your vendors or clients? How did your relationship with them this year pan out? How could you improve your working relationship with them?
I began taking a more detailed interest in my clients by becoming more personal with each one of them. - What challenges and blessings did you have with customer service this year? How could you improve your customer service?
I worked on making it easier for customers to buy with better descriptions, more packages, more resources. - What were your five biggest selling products or services this year?
(Lots of possible answers here, but find out which ones were your best sellers for 2019) - How big is your mailing list? Your business Facebook Page/group? Your Twitter or LinkedIn followers? How much did it increase in 2019?
Thankfully, all my mailing lists and social media contacts increased in 2019 — some not as much as others, but still working on that in 2020. - What marketing WORKED for you this year? What created wins for you?
My weekly emails are some of my best marketing. Another area I want to expand in 2020. - What was the best thing, your greatest accomplishment in 2019?
Have the vision to let go of what was no longer working for me to expand in the areas that are my “Zone of Genius” (taken from the book: The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
Go through each question and develop your own personal answers. Business Planning part 2 (coming soon) will talk about setting Intentions